It’s been a year since I graduated from college, and I’ve never been more uncertain and directionless in my life. Here’s a list of books that helped me, and that I think everyone should read to help with the transition into the real world:

non-fiction

• The Second Mountain by David Brooks
  This is a must-read. Part philosophy, part sociology, he writes about how every structure in our society as changed as a result of technology and secularism. Our generation is the first generation with this much personal freedom. Individualism is great but comes with many downsides, mainly the lack of structure and certainty which has resulting disconnectedness. You’re on your own, and Brooks offers pillars to structure your life around that help to craft some sense of stability in our changing times.

• Range by David Epstein
  I read this book right after I started my job and panicked over the idea that this was the rest of my life. It helped with my existential crisis immensely. The premise is that the days when you would stay with one company for your entire career are gone. People change careers and enter different industries frequently, something like every two years. You must be able to adapt. It used to be that being an expert in one arena became an advantage, but as our economy evolves, there is a growing necessity to be a jack of all trades. Having different interests and skills is a GOOD thing. As someone who isn’t sure what I want my life to look like in ten years, he assures you that not only do most people feel like this, but it’s ridiculous to plan for a person who doesn’t even exist yet — instead of trying to plan for your 30-year-old self, just try and plan for the next six months. It took my uncertainty and variety of interests and made me think of them as a strength.

• The Defining Decade by Meg Jay
  A partner at KPMG recommended this to me at a career event. Meg Jay is a psychologist who focuses on twenty-somethings, helping them find direction in their lives. This book is super quick and easy-to-read. It’s broken into the two areas we struggle with the most, work and relationships. She offers easy-to-take advice when it comes to who you date and which jobs to take. I found it really applicable and interesting. Worth reading.

• A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink
  I found the first half of this book so fascinating. It’s a huge warning sign about how artificial intelligence and outsourcing will change the economy. It’s already happened to blue-collar jobs, but all the careers we thought were safe (lawyers, finance, engineers) will be affected in the same way. He offers advice on how to make yourself valuable in a changing economy. I read the first half and skimmed the second, but I read it a few years ago and have never forgotten it.

• Rising Strong by Brené Brown
  This book totally changed my life. It teaches you how to deal with failure. A must-read because you are guaranteed to have failures in life if you are going to go after what you want. I’ve read a couple of her other books, but I read this one first and think I learned the most from it. It’s easier to take risks if you know how to get back up.

Memoir

• Becoming by Michelle Obama
  I am obsessed with this. I’ve never recognized more of myself in a book before. It focuses mostly on her childhood and the way she worked from the South Side of Chicago to the top of a law firm after Harvard, but in her relentless striving felt her life was somewhat adrift and lacked meaning. It wasn’t until she gave up her overachieving ways and began serving her community that she became fulfilled. It’s a narrative reflecting on how many of society’s conventional promises don’t deliver. Lots of life lessons and interesting insights into the way Barack Obama’s mind works. Anyone who’s a perfectionist should read it.

• The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
  Marina Keegan was a student at Yale set to work at the New Yorker when she was killed in an accident a few days after graduating. I’m not a big fiction reader, but this collection of essays and short stories is so good, some better than others. The opener, “The Opposite of Loneliness” is PHENOMENAL. Best thing I’ve read written by someone so young. I also recommend reading her article, “Even Artichokes Have Doubts” — completely reflected so much of what I saw going on at USC my senior year.